__NOTOC__ Hans von Tettau (30 November 1888 – 30 January 1956) was a German general ( General of the Infantry) in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

who held commands at the divisional and corps level. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Tettau surrendered to the Allied forces in May 1945; he was released in 1947. He wrote a book with General Kurt Versock called ''The History of the 24th Infantry Division''. Although much decorated, Tettau's reputation is debatable. Some German historians argue that he had little real military experience up to his countermeasures at the

Battle of Arnhem The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity f ...

in 1944, the Allied Operation Market Garden. Fellow generals spoke of Tettau, whose regular work in the army was more that of an inspector than of a commanding officer, in a negative way when he organised his defences in the Netherlands under the name of ''Westgruppe'', which was not a formal army division. Instead, this was seen as a political move by Tettau to gain credit in Berlin.

Awards and decorations

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1914) 2nd Class (18 September 1914) & 1st Class (18 September 1915)Thomas 1998, p. 372. *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class (22 September 1939) & 1st Class (5 October 1939) *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold on 5 May 1942 as ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' and commander of 24. Infanterie-Division *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

** Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of 24. Infanterie-Division ** 821st Oak Leaves on 5 April 1945 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of Korpsgruppe von TettauFellgiebel 2000, p. 84.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * Verhoef, CEHJ (2012)De slag om de Ginkelse heide bij Ede / druk Heruitgave 17 en 18 September 1944. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tettau, Hans Von 1888 births 1956 deaths German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German prisoners of war in World War II People from Bautzen People from the Kingdom of Saxony Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Saxony